Royalty
by JPHBK
Summary: Part 4 in my series of post Justice League(2017) stories. Diana Prince has a chance meeting on the shores of Gotham with Arthur Curry.


Disclaimer: DC owns the characters within, not I.

Diana Prince took a deep breath and inhaled the salty beach air. She closed her eyes and then opened them to fixate on a point across the ocean. She smiled. Memories of Themyscira began to flood her mind. She found it hard to not dive in to the sea and just begin swimming. These thoughts were why she usually didn't allow herself to dwell on her former home.

Diana walked down closer to the water and sat down in the spot right before the water reached the sand. She kicked off her sandals and placed her feet in the water and enjoyed the feel of the cool breeze mixing with the warm sun overhead. Diana closed her eyes and tilted her head back taking in the peace of this secluded part of the beach.

"Princess." a voice from the water in front of her startled her and prompted her to open her eyes and straighten up. Her posture eased when she saw the figure rising from the depths in front of her. She smiled.

"Arthur." Diana greeted him as he walked to stand in front of her, still submerged halfway in the water. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to find you in the ocean.. but here?"

"Well.." Arthur began as walked over and plopped down next to Diana. "Bruce sent me a message, so I came to talk to him."

"Oh.. I see." Diana responded.

"What about you, what brings you to Gotham?" Arthur asked as he glanced behind them at the city.

"Same." Diana replied.

"You know.. for such an awful city.." Arthur began as his gaze shifted from the skyscrapers behind them to the beach surrounding them. "This is not a half bad beach."

"I thought so too." Diana agreed. Arthur turned to her.

"I couldn't help but to notice..." Arthur said with a gesture out to the sea in front of them. "That you seemed to be fixated for awhile."

"You saw.." Diana reacted.

"Yeah.. I popped my head up a ways out, but I suppose you didn't see me.. what with how intensely you were gazing east." Arthur replied.

"Well.." Diana began. She pulled her feet closer to her and rested her arms on her knees. "I suppose I was a bit fixated."

"Mind if I ask what is on your mind?" Arthur asked as his much larger frame mimicked a similar pose to his new friend's.

"Ah.. just been thinking about home lately.." Diana answered looking at Arthur out of the corner of her eye.

"I thought that might be it.." Arthur answered. "Considering if I followed your eye line, I would have eventually ended up there."

"Yes.. you would have." Diana agreed.

"What's got you thinking about it?" Arthur inquired.

"Just um.." Diana began. "I was talking to Kal-El and it came up and I don't know, it just made me remember things."

"Oh.." Arthur considered her words. He glanced off in the direction of Themyscira for a moment before turning back to Diana. "So you've spoken to Superman?"

"Yes." Diana answered turning her attention to Arthur as he did the same to her. "A couple of times actually."

"Well.." Arthur digested that information.

"Why?" Diana asked, sensing there was more to the questions than meet the eye.

"You talk to anyone else?" Arthur asked.

"Um.. yes, but mostly just through text messages." Diana replied.

"Oh.. I don't get those.." Arthur replied with patting his foot in the water for emphasis. "Obvious reasons."

"Yes.. so how did Bruce contact you?" Diana questioned.

"He gave me a...um.. a thing.." Arthur struggled to describe the device Bruce had given him.

"A thing?" Diana asked with a small laugh.

"I don't know what it is.. I guess it's kind of like a waterproof phone, but only he can contact me." Arthur replied as he fished a device out of his pocket and showed it to Diana.

"Oh.. well we should do something about that." Diana said. "I'd like to be able to contact you too."

"You would?" Arthur asked.

"Of course Arthur." Diana replied with a smile. Arthur smiled in return as he stuffed the device back into his pocket. "Arthur?"

"Yeah?" Arthur responded, turning back to Diana.

"You seemed upset... when I said I had spoken to Clark." Diana suggested. Arthur waved his hand dismissively.

"Nah." Arthur reacted.

"Arthur.." Diana's tone was gentle and coaxing.

"Well.. truthfully.." Arthur began as he lied back on the shore and folded his hands behind his head. "I guess I kind of felt like maybe you guys had kind of forgot about me."

"Never... you shouldn't feel that way." Diana replied as she lied back and mimicked Arthur's position. She laughed a little as she looked over at him as he grinned at her.

"Thanks." Arthur said. "I guess it's just because I spend the majority of my time underwater.. I get that."

"What's that like?" Diana asked.

"What?" Arthur asked in return.

"Living underwater?" Diana clarified.

"Oh.. hmm." Arthur considered how to best describe it, but found himself at a loss. "Honestly.. I'm not sure how to describe it.. it's um.. well it's different... quieter than land for sure."

"I'd like that." Diana replied.

"Yeah.. and I mean... it's more freeing." Arthur said before gesturing to the city behind them. "On land you can't go very far before you run into cities, towns, people.. not so much under there."

"That reminds me of Themyscira." Diana said. "We had a city.. it was beautiful.. but we also had open land.. and I loved that even more."

"I've heard." Arthur responded. "Hey.. I don't fully understand how it works, but I'm sorry you can't go back, it sounds like you miss it."

"It's okay.." Diana said turning to him. "I do.. but not as much as I used to."

"Can I ask you something?" Arthur asked.

"Yes." Diana replied.

"Superman... what's he like?" Arthur asked.

"You've met him." Diana countered.

"Sure.. but you know.. briefly and um he was awesome and all of that, but I haven't really got to talk to him." Arthur responded.

"Well Kal is great.. he's fun to talk to, he's very friendly and charming.." Diana considered their fellow teammate.

"Hmm.. charming huh?" Arthur said turning to her with his eyebrows raised.

"Don't.." Diana said in a playfully scolding tone. "I think all of you are charming in your own way."

"I was just busting your ba... well.. um.. whatever the female equivalent of that is.." Arthur said with an embarrassed chuckle. Diana laughed as well and shook her head. "You know.. I met him once... Kal-El.. before I knew who he was."

"Really?" Diana asked, turning back to Arthur intrigued by his revelation.

"Well I don't know if met is the proper word." Arthur clarified.

"Tell me." Diana said.

"It was.. a few years ago now.. out there." Arthur said with a nod towards the sea. He sat up and pointed for even more emphasis. Diana followed suit, pushing herself up on her elbows. "He um.. I guess had saved some people on an oil rig that was collapsing, and I don't know if um he overexerted himself or if it was just the water he wasn't used to but he was sinking pretty fast..."

"You saved him?" Diana asked. Arthur turned back to her.

"Well I didn't want to do it myself for fear of him awakening and me having to explain myself.." Arthur answered. "Their happened to be a couple of whales nearby... they offered to do it."

"So you do talk to fish?" Diana asked.

"Whales aren't fish." Arthur quipped with a wink. Diana nodded and laughed.

"I never knew that story though.." Diana commented.

"Yeah.. I knew there was something special about him, although I didn't know at the time just how special." Arthur continued. Diana sat fully up and crossed her legs just as Arthur reached into his pocket to retrieve the device from within. He pressed a button on it and Diana saw some scrolling text on the monitor. Arthur turned to her and showed it to her. "It appears I'm being summoned."

Both of them stood up at the same time. Diana brushed the sand off her pants, but Arthur just turned to walk up the beach.

"Arthur.." Diana said as she caught up with him.

"Yes Princess?" Arthur asked.

"Please... just call me Diana." Diana replied with a grin.

"Yes Diana?" Arthur asked.

"Care if I come with you.. I wanna tell Bruce to make it so I can use that thing too." Diana said with a nod to Arthur's pocket.

"Alright by me." Arthur said with a smile as the two continued up the beach.


End file.
